Articles

A Statement on the Importance of the Muslim Nation`s Unity and the Need to Discard Disputes
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 17-08-2015

A Statement on the Importance of Muslim Nation's Unity and the Need to Discard Disputes  

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

Based on Allah`s words (What means): "Verily, this brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other)." [Al-Anbia`/92], in adherence to His injunction (What means): "And hold fast, all together, by the rope which God (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves;" [Al-Imraan/103], as well the decisive heavenly guidance (What means): "And obey God and His Apostle; and fall into no disputes, lest ye lose heart and your power depart; and be patient and persevering: For God is with those who patiently persevere." [Al-Anfaal/46].

 

Out of the religious, historic, and human responsibility, which makes it imperative upon Muslims to be candid and advise one another through calling for maintaining the nation`s unity, man`s dignity, and the security of the Muslim countries, the General Iftaa` Department in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan-which is closely watching the dangers threatening our nation, the voices calling for revenge, the statements released through mass media inciting to trial, fanaticism and hatred-turns to our brothers in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and other Muslim countries to stress the following:

 

First: Today, the Muslim nation has arrived at a situation, which contradicts with the teachings of Islam as regards belief, adherence to observing obligatory acts of worship, and the intentions of Sharia that call for unity and forbid bloodshed. This situation also contradicts with the historic models of our bright Islamic experience, which rested on values of brotherhood, advice and maintaining man`s dignity. Allah, The Almighty, Said (What means): "Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance" [An-Nahil/125].

 

Second: The nation`s unity, which was a reality over centuries as well as a dream for its sons, is experiencing a severe trial and repeated attempts to undermine it; therefore, it is the duty of its sons; especially the wise to be aware of this grave danger and stand up to it, in response to the call for brotherhood (What means): "The Believers are but a single Brotherhood" [Al-Hujuraat/10].

 

Third: The call for firmly establishing the nation`s unity dictates ending various political conflicts and Fatwas, which call for shedding blood, labeling Muslims as disbelievers (Takfeer), and undermining the peace and security of societies.

 

Fourth: We call on the scholars as well as the thinkers of the Muslim nation to favor the nation`s interest, maintain its solidarity and resort to reason in order to stop the killing of Muslims and to render the plots of those trying to undermine the internal peace and security of our societies a failure.

 

Fifth: We call on our Muslim nation to ignore voices that call for accusing Muslims with disbelief and treason, and to abide by the teachings of our true religion, which promotes the values of brotherhood, solidarity, cooperation and reconciliation.

 

We remind our nation with the themes of the Amman Message, which was launched by His Majesty King Abdullah the 2nd. It calls for adherence to the way of Islam in inviting people to Allah through wisdom, beautiful preaching, mercy and good deeds. Moreover, Islam forbids killing people and calls for discarding all forms of violence and extremism and at the same time expressing the importance human's dignity and sanctity which is one of Sharia objectives, as Allah, The Most Exalted Said (What means): We have honoured the sons of Adam." [Al-Israa'/70].

 

Sixth: In order for our nation to free itself from the trial that it is experiencing, its scholars and rulers are required to exert every effort possible to stop all forms of conflict, and resort to wisdom through constructive dialogue and giving priority to the nation`s interest over that of the individual`s. This in order for it to regain trust in itself, enhance the common aspects and delay disputes, as stipulated in the Sharia maxim: warding off harm takes precedence over making benefit, since the Prophet (PBUH) said: "

Whoever helps to kill a believer, even with half a world, he will meet Allah (PBUH) with (the words) written between his eyes, 'He has no hope of the mercy of Allah (PBUH).” [Ibn Majah].

 

We pray that Allah unites all Muslims, spares their lives, and bestows peace and security upon Jordan and the rest of the Muslim countries.

The General Iftaa` Department

 

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to make ablution without answering the call of nature after waking up?

Washing front and back openings (Istinjaa`) is not a condition for the validity of ablution because it is done to remove Najaasah (impurity), thus if there is no Najaasah, there is no need for that, and then it is permissible to make ablution without answering the call of nature. However, prayer is invalidated if there is Najaasah on the anus ,or the front opening, so it (Najaasah) must be removed for the prayer to become valid, and not the ablution.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no objection to participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers, provided that the buyer's intention in purchasing is not merely to enter the competition without any need for what is bought — rather, the purchase must be genuinely intended for the item itself, and one must not pay more than the item's fair market price. This is because paying an amount above the market price would effectively be paying a fee to enter the prize draw, which would render it a form of gambling (qimār).
These prizes are, in essence, gifts that businesses offer through a random drawing (qur'ah) to those who purchase from them, as a means of encouraging sales, without the customer bearing any additional monetary cost for participation. So long as the aforementioned conditions are met, there is no objection to benefiting from the prize offered by the store, as it is considered a lawful prize from the viewpoint of Islamic Law.
It is stated in the resolutions of the "Jordanian Iftaa' Board" (Resolution No. 47), in the context of outlining the conditions for permissible prizes: "The price of the ticket [or item purchased] for the sake of the prize must not exceed its original price, so that there is no payment of money in exchange for participation in the draw." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is the ruling on swearing an oath by the Prophet ﷺ, and does such an oath take effect according to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, requiring expiation upon its breach?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Swearing an oath by a created being is disliked (makrūh) in our Shāfiʿī school. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Swearing by a created being is disliked — such as swearing by the Prophet, the Kaʿbah, Jibrīl, the Companions, or the Prophet's family. Al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: 'I fear that swearing by other than Allah the Almighty may constitute an act of disobedience.' The scholars of the school explained this to mean: that is, something forbidden and sinful — indicating that he had some hesitation in the matter. Al-Imām stated: the established position of the school is that it is categorically not forbidden, but rather disliked. Furthermore, whoever swears by a created being, his oath does not take effect and no expiation (kaffārah) is required if he breaks it." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn wa ʿUmdat al-Muftīn, Vol. 11/P.6]
According to the Ḥanbalī school, however, expiation becomes obligatory upon one who swears by our master the Prophet ﷺ and then breaks his oath. Imām al-Bahūtī al-Ḥanbalī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "No expiation is required for swearing by other than Allah the Almighty, even if the oath is broken — because expiation was made obligatory for swearing by Allah and His attributes, out of reverence for His names, and nothing else is equal to Him in this regard... except in the case of swearing by our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, for expiation becomes obligatory when one swears by him and then breaks the oath. This was explicitly stated in the narration of Abū Ṭālib, because he is one of the two conditions of the two testimonies of faith by which a disbeliever becomes a Muslim. Ibn ʿAqīl held the view that swearing by any of the other prophets, peace and blessings be upon them all, carries the same ruling." [Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt, Vol. 3/P.441]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on using the *subḥah* (prayer beads) to count during *tasbīḥ* and *dhikr*?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is recommended to use the ordinary or electronic subḥah (prayer beads or counter) to count tasbīḥ, dhikr, and istighfār, because it helps one to remember Allah. Many reports have been transmitted from the Companions and the Followers (tābiʿūn) showing that they continued to use strings of date pits as an aid to dhikr and tasbīḥ.
It is one of the lawful means of worship. Indeed, what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), namely that he counted tasbīḥ on his right hand, shows that it is permissible to count tasbīḥ with whatever helps a Muslim keep track of the number. There is therefore no basis for calling it an innovation (bidʿah), and we know of no jurist who said so.
Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a dedicated treatise on the subject titled al-Minḥah fī al-Subḥah, printed within al-Ḥāwī li’l-Fatāwī (vol. 4–6).
Shaykh al-Islām Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Does the subḥah have a basis in the Sunnah? He replied: “Yes, and al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī wrote on this. Among the evidence is what is authentically reported from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both): ‘I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) counting tasbīḥ on his hand.’ Ibn Abī Shaybah, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī also narrated: ‘Hold fast to tasbīḥ, tahlīl, and taqdīs, and do not be heedless, lest you forget the affirmation of Allah’s oneness (tawḥīd). Count them on the fingertips, for they will be questioned and made to speak.’ Counting tasbīḥ with pebbles, date pits, and a knotted string has also been reported from a group of the Companions and those after them. Some scholars held that counting on the fingertips is better than the subḥah, based on the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar. Others distinguished, saying: if the one reciting is safe from miscounting, counting on the fingertips is better; otherwise the subḥah is better.” [al-Fatāwā al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubrā, Vol.1/p.152]. And Allah Almighty knows best.